#somethingswearegettingright

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WELCOME to Number #8 somethingswearegettingright

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Welcome to our?Eighth Edition of the?somethingswearegettingright newsletter.

Here, we offer a brief digest of?5 or 6 inspirational posts from the past two weeks’ environmental news. So much that is positive that is taking place – so some things we are (clearly) getting right! This week we focus upon the Blue Earth Summit in Bristol – and I will be focusing on some of the keynotes and other highlights of this important rendezvous for our beautiful Planet.

In this weeks edition:

• Blue Earth Summit / Program highlights
• Blue Earth Summit: Lecture by David Olusoga OBE
• Blue Earth Summit: Save The Sea – Protecting 30% by 2030
• Blue Earth Summit: Is regenerative business possible?
• Blue Earth Summit: Land use: Managing how we use, access and preserve of British landscape
• Blue Earth Summit: 5 takeaways from the Blue Earth Summit & 55 inspiring Impacters you should connect with
• Unlocking Britain's rivers – the return of the twaite shad
• Seabirds See Incredible Recovery on Lundy Island
• Vole reintroductions in Cornwall

What we are achieving needs to be celebrated. We need to remember all the thousands of projects and successes, large and small. It may be wilding a hedge, or planting a pond. It might be a more ambitious re-introduction of a lost species. Whatever it is, it is part of the momentum that we are creating, with thousands upon thousands of committed individuals all over the world. This weekly space is to serve two goals. One is highlighting a handful of amazing projects that I have found inspiring. And the other is helping to remind us that we are making progress together in this collective endevor for our planet.

Please take action by subscribing to #somethingswearegettingright.?

There is so much amazing environmental work going on out there that deserves to be celebrated! This week. Next week. And every week! Here goes!?

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Blue Earth Summit Programme

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I open this week’s newsletter with a reminder of some of the highlights in this year's Summit. Some of the talks:

WEDNESDAY / Blue Earth Lecture: Professor David Olusoga OBE / Is regenerative business possible? / Save The Sea – Protecting 30% by 2030 / Breaking a wall or lifting the veil? The stories we live by and the language we choose / The Ocean: From awareness to action / Coastal restoration: Protecting the ocean so it can protect us.

THURSDAY / How do we Rewild the Sea? / From activism to action: Cleaning Britain's waterways / The Business of Rewilding / Alternative Futures: Beacons from the fringes / The Future of Circularity in Outdoors / International collaboration for climate. This is the future. / Land use: Managing how we use, access and preserve of British landscape / Earth's rebirth: A Journey to 2050

FRIDAY / Ebb & Flow - connecting to the patterns and power of water If you didn’t look at the program it is still online and available at:

https://blueearthsummit.com/programme/

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Blue Earth Summit: Lecture by David Olusoga OBE

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Oct 11, 11:00 AM - 11:30 AM / Forum Stage

The 2023 keynote Blue Earth lecture was given by BAFTA winning producer/ presenter and best-selling author, David Olusoga OBE, who tells the story of Britain’s complex history of the outdoors and shared lessons for the future. David Olusoga is Professor of Public History at the University of Manchester and has presented historical documentaries for the BBC, The One Show and The Guardian. He was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the 2019 New Year Honours list for services to history and to community integration.

David Olusoga outlined how the use, ownership and culture of the countryside today has been directly shaped by Britain’s history, underpinning the UK’s rapid urbanisation and disconnect from land and nature. He spoke directly to businesses, individuals and organisations at the event as he set out a vision for a reimagined future which better reflects the rapidly changing demographics of the UK.?He made the case that we must face our history to avoid past mistakes and to change its course moving forward. Our past informs our future and our present. For our movement to be truly powerful, for it to bring positive change to a wider community, he argued that we must face the complex history of the outdoors.?

https://blueearthsummit.com/how-a-full-understanding-of-our-history-can-shape-our-future-relationship-with-the-outdoors/

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Blue Earth Summit: Save The Sea – Protecting 30% by 2030

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Oct 11, 10:15 AM - 11:00 AM / Futures Stage

Our planet is facing an unprecedented climate crisis and the future looks more uncertain than ever. At Finisterre, we believe that the ocean is at the centre of this, providing countless solutions to the challenges we are facing. The constant threat to our most productive and biodiverse seas seriously diminishes the oceans’ natural ability to protect us from the impacts of climate change, protecting 30% is vital to securing us a liveable future. Gathering a panel of ocean experts, we’ll discuss everything from the looming threat of new offshore oil and gas development to depleted fish stocks and devastating bottom trawling activity in Marine Protected Areas, continued sewage discharge and plastic pollution. With just seven years remaining in the ocean decade, join us in open conversation as we examine what solutions can fast-track our collective goal of protecting 30% of land and sea by 2030.

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Blue Earth Summit: Is regenerative business possible?

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Oct 11, 01:45 PM - 02:25 PM / Forum Stage

'Regenerative' is becoming the new buzzword in business, referring to businesses that promote, restore and replenish the planet's resources and social systems. Being 'sustainable' is no longer enough.?This session brought together three business leaders, trailblazers in their own ways, who are all pushing harder to shift the dial and show that business can and must do better.?

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Blue Earth Summit: Land use: Managing how we use, access

and preserve the British landscape

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Oct 12, 03:30 PM - 04:30 PM / Crane Stage

Questions around land access and use spark frequent tensions; as evidenced with the heated debate following the ban on wild camping in Dartmoor. Campers clash with farmers, outdoor enthusiasts clash with environmental groups, industry clashes with conservationists. The clashes continue. If left unmanaged, tensions around who has the right to roam, how we best use the land and how we protect it, will surely grow, especially as the swelling UK population inevitably exerts greater demand on food and water systems, housing, and access to our natural environment. The wellbeing benefits we gain from time in nature, time spent exploring the British countryside and coastlines, are clear. We all have a right to access these benefits. But how do we manage the competing priorities of different interest groups in ways that a) ensures access to our wild places, b) safeguards and regenerates nature and c) preserves and respects historical and cultural ties to the land. Who has the right to roam and how do we ensure those groups with no voice have their say? This session listens to and engages different stakeholder groups to understand important and competing perspectives, to ask how we can develop land-use and land-management strategies in a way that allows for coexistence.

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Blue Earth Summit: 5 takeaways from the Blue Earth Summit

& 55 inspiring Impacters you should connect with

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This is from an excellent post on LinkedIn by Oliver Dauert

Here Oliver shares how hard it was to put everything on paper. He nonetheless wanted to sum up the Blue Earth Summit, especially for those who didn't have the chance to attend in person.? His aim was to bridge some of the insights, knowledge, and interesting impacters they should connect with.

His five key takeaways are:

1. Businesses start to notice nature?

2. We need more uncomfortable conversations

3. Become successful optimists

4. We need to put nature on the management board

5. We are not alone…

The meeting ended and an amazing group of #BristolBiodiversityHeroes met up at a venue in Bristol’s vibrant centre, to share their insights and meet others who came from the South West (UK) specially for the meet-up, including myself.

It was an amazing way to end a few days, whether at the meeting, or following at distance, and special thanks go Oliver Dauert and Lucie Machin for organising the evening. Delighted to say that our group continues to meet online, and it will be amazing to see what the #BristolBiodiversityHeroes are able to co-create. Perhaps we will all be at the next Blue Earth Summit, 2024?

https://www.dhirubhai.net/pulse/5-takeaways-from-blue-earth-summit-55-inspiring-impacters-dauert%3F/

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Unlocking Britain's rivers – the return of the twaite shad

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One of the issues many rewilders face is that of unlocking Britain's rivers. I was astonished to understand that there are apparently some 200 barriers to fish on the Avon alone in the South West. We are so used to seeing weirs, and other barriers that it is easy to take them for granted, and easy to forget that they block fish access to historic spawning grounds.

It is great to read the timeline of progress on the Unlocking the Severn Project, which has over the past years unlocked the river to the Shad. The Endangered twaite shad fish finally returned to habitat unlocked after 180 years!

Victorian navigation weirs built on the River Severn in the 1840’s blocked the migrating shad from their ancient spawning grounds and the local population of this once plentiful fish, crashed dramatically.?However, 35 generations of shad later, the length of the River Severn has been unlocked for twaite shad and many other migratory fish once again.

Unlocking the Severn in 2022 completed the last in a series of four huge new fish passes earlier this year. And during the spring shad spawning run (occurring May and June), scientists have recorded encouraging evidence of early success using a range of techniques to monitor the restoration of an epic fish migration.

This is truly amazing news, and congratulations to all who took part in it. We are reclaiming many parts of Britain for the native animals, fish and birds. It is a long journey, but one that is being made by many dedicated individuals.

#riverservern?#shad?#twaiteshad?#riverbarriers?#rewilding?#rivers?#restorationofrivers

https://www.unlockingthesevern.co.uk/endangered-fish-return-to-habitat-unlocked-after-180-years/

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Seabirds See Incredible Recovery on Lundy Island, Bristol Channel

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In 2000 there were just 7,000 seabirds on Lundy. This summer there were over 40,000! The island in the Bristol Channel is now home to 25,000 Manx Shearwaters, 1,300 Puffins, and other rare seabirds. This is the result of a conservation project led by the RSPB, Natural England, The Landmark Trust, and National Trust.

How's that for a wonderful serving of good news? ??

https://lnkd.in/ePMvRiNP

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The 3rd water vole reintroduction in Cornwall, last month

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The 3rd watervole reintroduction in Cornwall last month, by the Kernow Conservation CIC.

Excellent news as about 100 water voles are taking to their new home well and have started to excavate burrows as well as leaving field signs all around the release site. Camera traps are also showing us that the voles are active mainly under cover of darkness but also sometimes at dawn and dusk.

Thanks are due to?Sophie Monsarrat?and?Rewilding Europe?for making this possible through funding from the European Wildlife Comeback Fund, and to?Derek Gow?Consultancy for partnering again for this project.

Kernow Conservation CIC?also became the 90th member of the European Rewilding Network, with many thanks to?Julia Mata?for helping them through this process and they look forward to collaborating with all the other members. Congratulations!!!!

They will be making their 4th water vole release next year and subject to successful fundraising hopefully a few more.

#watervoles #Cornwall #Kernowconservationcic

https://www.dhirubhai.net/posts/thedavidcarrier_some-photos-from-our-3rd-water-vole-reintroduction-activity-7116700848457400320-G2DV

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THANK YOU FOR READING OUR EIGHTH EDITION!

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All my thanks again to the 301 amazing souls who have subscribed! If you have enjoyed these brief notes, please let me know in the comments, and please share our newsletter. We can build positive impact through this newsletter, sending encouragement to all those wonderful people who are already doing so much to protect our planet and support the plants and animals with whom we share our earth. If you are involved in positive impact projects that you would like to see highlighted and shared here, please reach out and DM me. My goal is to remind us that SOMETHINGSWEAREGETTINGRIGHT

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WITH MY WELL-WISHES UNTIL NEXT TIME AND EDITION #9

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Thanks so much for reading – and please subscribe, share and support!?

Wishing you a fabulous day! Aho!